Friends of Mew
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: Ash Ketchum just thought it that he had encountered numerous mysteries, but he was about to find that there was one more waiting for him to resolve - one that had been waiting for him years ago, and years ahead that would see him meet some old friends
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Lorelei – that's the only character

A/N: Going to do a shorter story in the Pokemon fandom Hopefully it's not too bad – let me know what you think

**Chapter 01**

One match – that's what stood between seventeen year old Ash Ketchum and being able to qualify to go to the Pokémon finals. He had endured countless matches over the years and had finally made it to the finals. He had taken many risks in order to come out on top, of which some were successful, and others were not.

"Are you ready, Ash?" Dawn asked, peering around the door into Ash's room.

The room was pretty basic, with a less than comfortable bed, a desk that Ash failed to find a use in, and a small cupboard he had kept some miscellaneous belongings in.

"Just the semi-final battle to go and then I'll be in the final," Ash replied, enthusiasm lacking in his voice. Dawn couldn't understand why, she was hoping Ash would be more pleased with his progress.

"Oh, Ash," she sighed, placing a hand on the side of her face and exhaling deeply. "Anyway, Brock's nearly finished making breakfast for you." Dawn closed the door, but found herself unable to let go of the door handle. "I think we both know how you hate to battle on an empty stomach-" she then lowered her voice to a whisper. "I, I know you can do this, Ash."

Shaking her head, she walked away from the door and pressed the button for the lift down to the lobby, completely unaware that Ash had heard her whispering.

Because, after Dawn had left his room, Ash had gone over to the door. He heard her whispering to herself and decided it would only be awkward if he had opened the door.

"Okay Pikachu, it's time for another decision. I was thinking of choosing the same Pokémon I used in the last battle – it seemed to work well then, so why not now?" Ash started to laugh a little.

He stopped when he heard Pikachu's slightly uncertain reply. His partner's nose began to twitch as the gentle aroma of freshly cooked food wafted in through the open window.

"You're right – we better get some breakfast!" Ash waited for the electric type Pokémon to leap up off the bed and onto his shoulder.

The time it took for the lift to arrive was excruciating – to the extent that Ash contemplated going for the stairs, even though they were at the other end of the building. Seeing his reflection in the glass doors of the lift, he realised just how tired he looked.

"Man, I might have to find Jigglypuff if I have one more night of two hours sleep…" Ash stepped into the lift and leant on the back wall of the lift.

"Hey! Hold the lift!" a girl shouted, tearing down the corridor towards the glass door.

Ash tried to stop the lift doors, but the button seemed to be out of order – or so he thought from the black and yellow tape that had been stuck over it.

This girl whom Ash thought couldn't have been any older than he was, lunged agilely through the air. It was all too little, too late from Ash's point of view as she slammed into the glass door.

"Pika," Pikachu piped up, feeling a little bad for the girl who had missed the lift.

"Tell me about it, Pikachu," Ash mumbled, leaving the lift at the lobby which was bustling with excited trainers of all ages and Pokémon of all sizes.

He saw the trainer he had defeated in the quarter-finals slinging his rucksack over his shoulder and adjusting the scarf he had knotted around his Cranidos. Immediately, Cranidos' eyes narrowed at Pikachu and Ash.

"Hey Ash!" the trainer exclaimed, unable to keep a smile off his face. "Good luck in the semi-finals – I think you're going up against that girl who has been taught how to fight and train Pokémon since she was ten by some guy her father employed."

"I can still beat her, don't you worry. Are you going back home then?" Ash asked, examining the bulk of his past opponent's rucksack.

"Cranidos and I are thinking of travelling to Lakemeadow Island. The island is said to be close to the Montazul cluster, and I've always wanted to go there. Even with the cluster being under investigating for strange happenings, I still want to go there – when I get there, I'll be sure to solve the mystery of the Montazul cluster"

"A mystery? That sounds pretty good," Ash sighed in reply, wishing that he could go to the Montazul cluster and find out more about this mystery. "Maybe I'll see you at Lakemeadow Island once the finals are over."

"I'd like that." The trainer held his hand out to Ash. "It was a good match – you deserved it. You better go out and win this thing, that way I would have lost to the winner."

Taking his last opponent's hand, Ash shook it and smiled broadly. "I'll do my best."

As his trainer said farewell to his opponent, Pikachu heard his stomach rumble and he made a dash for the main doors.

Shortly after, Ash followed and found Pikachu nearly face deep in a bowl of Pokémon food that Brock had prepared that morning.

"Morning everyone!" Ash stretched out his arms and arched his back.

"Hey Ash, have you decided which Pokémon you're going to use in this battle, because I sure hope you aren't just going to use the Pokémon you used in the last battle…" Brock waited for an answer, but Ash remained silent. "Please tell me you aren't- I really think you definitely ought to give Pikachu, and at least Buizel, a rest."

"Pikachu's fine, and as for Buizel, he's great. Why don't you come on out, Buizel?" Ash held the Pokéball in his hand.

"Buizel." The water type Pokémon's eyes lit up when he saw the untouched bowl of food, but Croagunk's yellow eyes caught his attention.

Buizel took up a fighting stance.

"No, Buizel – let's not cause any fights today. We've got a bigger battle ahead." Ash patted Buizel's shoulder.

Pikachu gasped when he saw a small grey Pokémon leap up onto the bench.

The intruder sniffed at the bowl beside Brock and sneakily chomped down on a piece, which clearly wasn't to its taste. Its eyes shut tightly and a look of disgust was slapped across its face.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex. After activation, it displayed the Pokémon that was on the table, eyeing up the pancake that Brock was halfway through.

"Castform, the weather Pokémon. Castform has the ability to change its form depending on the current weather. It also uses nature to transform and protect its body."

"So it's a Castform? It's so cute. I think it would be great for my next contest," Dawn squealed, pulling a Pokéball from her bag. "Come on, Castform."

The Pokémon gazed up at Brock with huge eyes, pleading the trainer for the pancake.

"I think this Castform belongs to someone Dawn – I wouldn't be so quick to try and catch it." Brock cut off a corner from the pancake, but the little Pokémon had other ideas and took a huge bite out of the piece Brock was keeping for himself.

Dawn giggled at Castform's greedy nature. "What makes you say that, Brock? Other than its taste for human food."

"Castform? Castform!" a panic stricken voice called out. "There you are!" The girl that Ash had seen crash into the glass lift doors burst into the clearing. Only now, she had a red mark on her forehead.

"Castform!" The girl's Pokémon leapt through the air, into her arms.

The trainer seemed to avoid eye contact with Ash – as if she didn't want him to see her looking his way. "I'm really sorry, I hope that he hasn't been given you too much hassle."

"Only the pancake that Brock had," Dawn said, turning to face Castform's owner. "That's a cute Pokémon – I'd love to see him change form."

"Oh – I can only apologise about the pancake, this one's a greedy Castform and he's got a love for human food. No Pokémon food is to his taste."

"Leia!" a harsh voice shouted, making the girl jump a little, squeezing Castform gently. "There you are! Come on, we've got a decision to make."

From the same direction that the girl, Leia, had come, came a man. He had golden blonde and spiked hair that there wasn't a single loose or rogue hair out of place. The man had broad shoulders that were masked in a long sleeved dark blue green shirt with a stiff collar that went up around his neck. However, it didn't quite mask the scar that appeared above the collar.

Ash thought he looked cool, especially with the sleeveless dark grey coat he wore over the shirt that went down past his knees. However, he couldn't help but feel that Damien was abrupt, and incredibly harsh too.

"Yes, Damien," Leia sighed. "I'd better go now, bye now." She turned away, escorted by this so-called Damien.

"What were you thinking? You could be up against any one of those three, you know. The last battle was a fluke in my eyes – I don't know why you didn't just use your sixth Pokémon – you pushed Castform beyond its limits just so that you didn't have to use your sixth," Damien growled fiercely.

At this point, it was impossible for Ash not to listen to Damien and Leia after he mentioned a sixth Pokémon that sounded like it was unbeatable.

"I'm sorry," Leia mumbled.

Once they were gone, Ash had a sudden epiphany. "She's my next opponent!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Dawn squeaked, squeezing Piplup, whose food burst out of its beak. "You mean she's the girl you're up against in the semi-finals?" Fire began to blaze in Dawn's eyes. "She's going to lose Ash."

"No pressure there, Ash," Brock whispered, out of earshot of Dawn. "What makes you think it's her?"

"The guy I beat in the last round, he told me that apparently my new opponent has someone that trains her for Pokémon battles. Damien seemed to be more like a teacher than a friend to me."

"You got that right. I have to admit that I have never seen a Pokémon take such a shine to human food like Leia's Castform. Maybe that's what makes such a small Pokémon so powerful… She might be stronger than you think, Ash" Brock rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Seriously, Ash… Which Pokémon are you going to fight with?"

"Well, I guess it'll be a surprise!" Ash took a huge bite out of the pancake Brock had set aside for him.

Leia smiled, looking down at the shiny Pokéball that hung on a leather strap around her neck, wondering if she was making the right decision. She then made the decision to take the spare Pokéballs in her satchel.

Even though that meant she had more than six Pokémon, she knew it was the right thing to do. It may mean that she would be going against Damien's guidance, but he had coerced the trainer's choice of Pokémon for the battle one too many times.

"And I definitely need my lucky Pokémon!" Leia tried to reassure herself.

"Leia, it's time to submit your Pokéballs to Nurse Joy." Damien nudged her with his elbow. "You're going to be fine – I know you will be, because I will be right there behind you."

"Yes, Damien," Leia mumbled, taking out five Pokéballs out of her satchel and hesitating. She glanced between the Pokéball around her neck, and the ones she could see in her satchel.

Damien was standing right beside her. "You remember the decision we made. Hurry up- I'll go and take a seat." Damien wandered away through the double doors to the arena.

"Is everything alright, Lorelei?" Nurse Joy asked.

The sound of her full name shocked Leia a little, but then she realised it would have been on her Pokédex.

"Here are my six Pokémon." Leia held onto the Pokéball around her neck, making her indecisive of the sixth Pokémon. "Please take care of them."

"Oh I can assure you, they are in Blissey's capable hands." Nurse Joy smiled, emanating a gentle and peaceful nature.

"What happens if I wish to substitute a Pokémon with one I have in this six?" Leia couldn't resist asking; she had to know the truth.

"I'm afraid that would be against the rules. Before I hand them over to Blissey, are you sure about your choice?"

Nurse Joy placed the metal tray down on the counter in front of Leia and watched the young trainer appear to be making a difficult decision.

"Is there anything I can say to help you with? I know it's not my place to say, but it seems as though you're struggling to make a final decision."

Leia assumed that this must have been a slightly less patient Nurse Joy, but one who had an ear for listening.

"Well, I've got this one Pokémon that would definitely be deemed as inappropriate to use in this round. Imagine a legendary Pokémon for instance. I don't think it's fair for me to use it… I have another Pokémon that I'd like to use, but I don't want to upset my aid."

"I'd do the right thing if I were you." Nurse Joy paused. "Blissey!"

The pink Pokémon with fluffy white arms skipped over to the counter, just about at the height that she could see over it.

"Blissey." Blissey reached out for the tray, which was when Leia made an impulse decision to switch, letting go of the shiny Pokéball around her neck.

"And can I take some Pokémon for support? They're like my cheerleading team. Sorry – I just feel bad for not using them in this battle…"

Without paying much attention, Nurse Joy wafted her hand through the air.

"Yes, that's fine, go ahead." Maybe it was the fact that she was tired of Leia's constant questions, or she wanted to move on and sign in more trainers.

"Thank you! Thank you so much." Leia grinned, running into the arena, she didn't even know that her opponent was already standing at the other end of the battle arena.

The stands of people that sat in their seats was astounding to the young trainer.

Leia passed Damien standing in the small stand that was reserved for family and friends of the competitors. He shook his head at her as she passed him.

"Tardy timings, Leia," Damien said with an aggressive tone. "That is something that a champion shouldn't be… You should be punctual and respectful."

Her head hung in shame by this point – she liked the fact that Damien helped her, but not how harsh he was sometimes.

"Come on out Castform, Leafeon, Kirlia and Kangaskhan – I need my cheerleading team!" Leia took her three partners onto the long and thin podium that was elevated above the arena which the Pokémon trainers stood upon during the battle.

She looked out over the arena at the playing field – desperate to get the match over and done with in order to prove herself.

Kirlia was shy and held onto Leia's leg like a small child did to its mother. Leafeon seemed to love the roar of the crowd as his partner waved to them, and the baby Kangaskhan was busy sleeping in its mother's pouch.

"You?" Leia exclaimed when she saw her opponent standing opposite her – it was not only the boy that Castform had run into, but it was also the boy who had caused her to smack her head, and the boy she had seen fight in the Indigo Plateau when she lost in the qualifier.

"Castform!" her Pokémon squealed cheerfully.

"Oh I don't know anymore, Castform…"

"This is a semi-final match between Lorelei Periwinkle from the Montazul Islands and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. It will be a six on six battle. The region will change every time one Pokémon is defeated." An announcer's voice echoed in Leia's ears, signalling the start of the battle.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Okay, so it's probably a little dull, but maybe there's a way of jazzing it up a little, or maybe I'm wrong!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Lorelei and Damien – that's the only character

A/N: Thank you for anyone who has read this – feel free to review it and let me know what you think

**Chapter 02**

Ash looked at his opponent – his original thought was that his opponent would be a challenge, based on what he had been told. Behind her, in the stands, Ash could see Damien eagerly watching the battle.

"Let the battle begin!" the referee called out, swinging the flag down to the ground.

"Alright, Spheal – come on out!" he heard his opponent, call out.

On the arena below Lorelei, a Pokémon who Ash assumed got the name Spheal from its near spherical shape stood ready to battle. It seemed small, but Ash had learnt not to determine strength by size. Spheal could very well still be strong despite being smaller than Pikachu.

Ash's next thought was to choose his first Pokémon, which he thought he would use a Pokémon that would be him an advantage through type. According to Dexter, Spheal was an Ice and Water type, so a grass type would be ideal.

"Sceptile – I choose you!" he cried out, throwing the Pokéball in the air.

It had been a while since Ash had used Sceptile, but he was grateful to have the Grass Pokémon on his side and ready to fight.

"Sceptile…" the Pokémon said, with a readiness in its voice.

The two opponents watched as the arena transformed into a rocky ground where sharp and jagged rocks jutted out of the ground that could be used as protection, but also as something to create more damage.

"Okay Spheal, let's kick it off with a Water Gun!" Lorelei commanded, extending her arm out to one side.

Her Pokémon took a deep breath, inhaling the cool air and exhaling sharply with a string of water whistling through its jaw towards Sceptile.

"Dodge it, and use Leaf Blade!"

The dark green arms of his Pokémon lit up, shining like sharp edges as he hurtled towards the icy Pokémon, who barely had enough time to dodge it.

Lorelei's command to dodge it just wasn't quick enough – Sceptile nicked Spheal by the very tip of his Leaf Blade.

"Now Spheal – use Encore!" she yelled, trying not to let the battle overcome her.

Echoes of clapping and cheers filled the air, created by Spheal's Encore. Whilst Ash's Pokémon was distracted by the celebratory noises it could hear, Spheal chose to hide behind one of the jagged rocks to catch its breath.

"Come on Sceptile, snap out of it!" Ash yelled out in frustration. "You got to snap out of it!"

But Sceptile wasn't so quick to snap out of it – it was just taking in all of the cheers, thinking it was all for him.

"Spheal – use Aurora Beam to break up the rocks!" Lorelei ordered, followed by a cheer from the greedy little Castform. "You can do it!"

Ash watched as Sceptile was hit by numerous chunks of rocks that had been broken up by the aurora beam. Right now, this battle seemed a lot tougher than Ash had anticipated. "Look out!"

Behind Ash, Brock stroked his chin, trying to figure out Lorelei's battle strategy. "It's like she's trying to avoid any head on attack on Sceptile. Probably because Sceptile has a greater speed than Spheal, taking into account Spheal's size and mobility. Ash, you really ought to take advantage of Sceptile's speed – and remember Grass moves may be weak against ice, but Spheal is both Ice and Water, so Sceptile has an advantage somewhere."

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed. "Okay Sceptile – use Bullet Seed."

Dawn didn't agree with Ash's move choice and felt the need to say something. "Ash – Sceptile's still affected by Spheal's Encore, there's no guarantee any attack will land a hit."

"I know what I'm doing," Ash replied, smiling cheerfully.

"Pika!" Pikachu frowned as Sceptile lazily sent out some seeds that littered the rocky ground.

The seeds seemed to have evaded Spheal, who was now nowhere to be seen. It was then that Sceptile snapped out of Spheal's encore.

"Sceptile?" it said, confused as to how its opponent could have disappeared. Cautiously, it moved forwards, passing the halfway mark of the pitch, looking left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of Spheal.

"Spheal – use Body Slam now!" Lorelei yelled cheerfully, enthusiastic that Sceptile had fallen right into her trap.

To the side of Sceptile, a pile of broken up rocks moved and out shot Spheal. There was a thud as the spherical Pokémon smashed into the larger Pokémon, by size. Lorelei's Spheal bounced back and stabilised itself after a slight wobble. Even though Sceptile had gone to search for his rival, the seeds that had littered the ground caused Spheal to trip and tumble, sending him crashing into one of the rocks that was still standing firm in the arena.

"Spheal!" Lorelei cried out, causing her to miss Ash's next command to Sceptile. "Look out!" she screamed as a swarm of leaves swirled through the air and struck Spheal.

A squeal from her Pokémon echoed in her ear and she felt the pain in her heart as Spheal was hit multiple times by Sceptile's Leaf Storm.

"Spheal – you have to get up!"

"Sceptile, use Pound whilst Spheal is recovering," Ash called out to his Pokémon, beginning to feel the battle was moving in his favour.

As Sceptile hurtled towards the extremely weakened aquatic Pokémon that was trying to get up, Lorelei took a risk and ordered Spheal to take up a bolder stance.

"Spheal – Hail attack, now!"

Damien's mouth dropped open, like he was disagreeing with his pupil's choice of attack. "Lorelei – what are you doing?"

Hail began to shower down on the arena – Sceptile tried to avoid the sharp pellets when it crashed into a rock face. Unlike his opponent, the Grass Pokémon took cover as the hail became lodged into the ground of the battlefield. Dust spewed up into the air as the hail hit the ground, shrouding Ash and Lorelei's vision.

Anticipation filled the air as the spectators tried to see who had become victorious in the storm of hail.

Only one of the victors celebrated when they saw that their Pokémon was still standing and it was left to the referee to say who had won the round.

"Spheal is unable to battle – the round goes to Sceptile and Ash."

Lorelei held out Spheal's light blue and white Pokéball – a Dive ball. "Spheal, return." Her Pokémon was engulfed in the usual red mist before returning to the Pokémon. "You did really well, Spheal. You allowed me to get to know Ash's battling strategy. I know just what to do." She set the Dive ball down on the metal block to the side of her and picked up the next on. "Okay, here goes!"

With the normal red Pokéball thrown up in the air, Ash saw its next opponent, and Brock saw a Pokémon of impeccable appearance.

The older guy stood up in the viewing stand in complete amazement. "What a glossy coat, a coat that must have taken months- no years to cultivate. I would love to hear the recipe for a coat like that." This was the breeder in him coming out. "That Ninetales must have had a lot of care and attention from Leia – she's certainly raised it well."

"A Ninetales – well, this won't be easy with Sceptile weakened. Sceptile, return!" Ash withdrew Sceptile and decided to stick to type advantages for now. "Go, Buizel!"

Brock let out a small utterance. "Ash! Buizel will still be recovering from the last battle."

"Brock," Dawn said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Let's just sit back and let him see get on with the match."

The referee held his hands to the air. "With Spheal unable to battle, the pitch will transform into a water zone!"

In the centre of the pitch, a stone tower with a staircase spiralling up around it shot up through the rocky ground which was now filling with water, apart from two platforms Buizel and Ninetales prepared themselves upon.

"Okay Ninetales, keep on that tower and let Buizel make the first move." Lorelei gritted her teeth, agitated that she had let one of her Pokémon slip and get defeated, but like she had told Spheal – she was beginning to see how Ash would battle.

"Well I can't ask for a better invitation, Buizel, let's kick this off with a Sonic Boom!" Ash grinned.

"Buizel," his Pokémon said, agreeing with Ash's choice of move. The aquatic Pokémon sprang into the air, flicking its tail around and sending crescent shaped sonic booms rippling through the air.

"Now Ninetales – use Safeguard!"

Lorelei's Ninetales protected itself and deflected the sonic booms like they were a baby Pidgey's Gust attack.

"Wahh!? Safeguard…" Ash looked down. "Buizel, get Ninetales into the water with a Water Gun!"

Buizel swam under the water, preparing himself to strike Ninetales when she least expected it. He narrowed his eyes at the Fire type as she scurried about the platform frantically, stressed that she couldn't see her foe. Propelling his tail in concentric circles, Buizel shot out of the water and squirted the Water Gun attack at Ninetales.

Lorelei gasped, and then let out a little laugh. "Show them what's special about you, Ninetales!"

Ash was confused at what Lorelei meant – Ninetales was a Fire type, not even a Fire Spin attack would deflect the water gun from Buizel. His mouth hit the floor when he saw what was so special about Ninetales.

It plunged into the water and for a few seconds, it was safe and heading for the stairs up the stone pillar.

"Quick, Ninetales!" Lorelei shouted, her fists clenched in anticipation because her Ninetales could only be in the water for a little while before it started to take a heavy hits to its health. "Come on," she muttered.

Castform nuzzled the girl's cheek, trying to calm the stressed out trainer.

"Buizel, steer Ninetales from the steps with a Water Pulse!" Ash called out, eager to take up the opportunity to knock out another of his opponent's Pokémon.

"Bui-Buizel," Buizel replied, as if to say 'this will be a piece of cake.' Seeing Ninetales struggle towards the steps, Buizel sped ahead of her and blew her back with the rings of a water pulse.

"Ninetales! You have to get out of the water!" Lorelei squealed.

"Call Ninetales back, Lorelei – she's been in the water too long. Save her strength for later." Damien stood up boldly. "This fight will be over if you don't. Ninetales can help to defeat Sceptile."

Though she hated to admit that Damien was right, Lorelei recalled Ninetales who was now floundering about towards the platform it had started on. As she turned to the stand where her other Pokéballs were, she hesitated.

"Come on Lorelei – you need to use the arena to your advantage!" shouted Damien, frustrated that she hadn't chosen quicker.

"There are other ways to win, other than advantages of the arena." Lorelei picked up a safari ball from the stand. "Bellossom, I believe in you."

"Bella!" Bellossom frowned at Buizel who was now playing up to the cheers of the audience.

At the sound of another Pokémon, Buizel readied itself to fight in an instant.

"Kick it off with a Solarbeam!" Lorelei yelled.

A glowing light lit up Bellossom as the Pokémon powered up the attack. "Bell-la," it growled, holding in the energy until it reached a maximum.

"Buizel, use Sonic Boom!" Ash shouted desperately.

"Now, Bellossom! Before Buizel gets a chance." Lorelei grinned as her flowery Pokémon released the powerful light beam, striking Buizel and its sonic booms. "Alright Bellossom!" she exclaimed when she saw Buizel collapsed out on the stairs – much to the frustration of his trainer.

"Buizel is unable to battle, this round goes to Bellossom and Lorelei. The arena will now change. To a grassy meadow."

"Buizel – return…" Ash admitted in defeat. "Sceptile – I choose you."

Sceptile seemed weak now – but Ash had faith in the Pokémon he had raised from Treecko. He was using Sceptile so that he could save his other Pokémon and surprise Lorelei later on.

"Bellossom – Petal Dance!" Lorelei demanded that her Pokémon use the attack before even giving Bellossom a chance to recover from solarbeam.

"Hide in the grass, Sceptile!"

A flare of red and pink petals that were all shades of the setting sun tore towards Sceptile who ducked down under the taller grass. This didn't put Bellossom off, she controlled the petals to soar across the grass, determined to find her opponent.

"Pound, Sceptile!"

Sceptile struck Bellossom, who tumbled away into the tall grass. Rather than search for his new opponent, Sceptile learnt to wait it out and stood his ground.

"Stun Spore, Bellossom!"

Spots of orange burst out of the grass and dusted Sceptile's body – he tried to leap away, but collapsed as electrical sparks jolted across his body. He was paralyzed and down on one knee in the opening of the meadow that was surrounded by the grass.

"Come on, Sceptile, you got to get over that!" Ash yelped helplessly.

"Magical Leaf, Bellossom!"

Dark leaves that looked like they had been coated in a purple glowing ectoplasm sliced Sceptile one too many times. Sceptile was now lying flat out on the meadow, its body shook a little as it struggled to get up, but it was hopeless. Ash's Sceptile collapsed on the floor – unable to battle.

"Sceptile is unable to battle – the round goes to Bellossom and Lorelei. The pitch will now change to a normal pitch."

"Alright then, Muk – I choose you!"

Lorelei raised her eyebrows. "Muk? That's a weird choice… Maybe Ash isn't as predictable as I had thought. Alright Bellossom, let's make this a match people won't forget!" Lorelei pointed at Muk. "Let's use stun spore in a circular motion."

Bellossom danced about the pitch, throwing paralyzing spores onto the ground, but it was purposefully avoiding where Muk stood. This was something that worked successfully in past battles – by making a stun spore circle around the opponent.

"Muk, chase after Bellossom and try to catch it!" Ash yelled.

"Hold everything, Ash." Brock stood up, and looked to Muk's trainer. "Lorelei had used a different tactic – she's gotten Bellossom to isolate Muk due to the stun spore that have lined the ground."

"Oh right." Ash turned back to the pitch. "Nice try, Lorelei," he taunted his opponent. "Muk, let's dress up the pitch with a Sludge Bomb."

Due to his trainer's orders, Muk open his slimy mouth and out erupted a series of thick looking dark purple sludge bombs. The bombs splattered the pitch, covering the stun spores that were on the ground.

Bellossom's little legs spun out of control as she evaded the bombs of sludge Muk was sending her way. However, with the mix of sludge and stun spores on the ground, there was very little space for her to land without being near the poisonous sludge or paralyzing spores. One wrong move from Bellossom and her foot was in the sludge. A flush of purple coursed across the small Pokémon's skin. She was poisoned and if she stayed on the pitch any longer, then her health would take a drastic hit.

"Oh no!" Lorelei gasped. "Bellossom, return!" Her poisoned Pokémon returned to the Pokéball. "You did well Bellossom – you've definitely given me a fighting chance, but my next Pokémon will definitely have the advantage against Muk." The young trainer's mind was already made up – she didn't need Damien's input this time. "Flygon – I choose you, stay in the air!"

Flygon soared above the pitch, circling above Muk, ready to strike.

"Use Dragonbreath, Flygon!" Lorelei called out, hoping to see a puff of a gas to be sent flying towards Muk, causing it to vacate its 'safe zone.'

Instead, Flygon decided it had other plans. It flapped its strong wings, picking up the dust particles on the pitch and whipping them around Muk – impairing the Pokémon's visions.

"Flygon – what are you doing?" Lorelei cried out helplessly, shielding her eyes with her arm as the dust flowed uncontrollably through the stadium. "Stop this now, Flygon!" Desperate to control her own Pokémon, Lorelei attempted to pull her Pokémon back, but it avoided the red mist of the Pokéball. "Why are you being so disobedient?" she whimpered.

The dust started to settle, despite Ash attempting to get Muk's Screech attack to separate the sandstorm, which didn't help at all.

Lorelei tried to get Flygon to use Double Team, but it seems that her Pokémon would rather use a Steel Wing instead.

The pure strength of Flygon's wingspan sliced through Muk, leaving it unable to carry on – much to the dismay of Ash and the disbelief of Lorelei.

"Muk is unable to battle – the round goes to Flygon and Lorelei. The pitch shall change to a volcanic region – watch the lava flow down the mid-section of the pitch, it's hot stuff!"

"I'm not finished yet – Charizard, I choose you!" Ash was sure that Charizard would hopefully be on his side, and obey his commands. Recently, Charizard was very temperamental with whether or not it would obey or not.

Dawn seemed more nervous than ever before, she just couldn't stop fidgeting. "Ash only has three Pokémon left – whilst Lorelei has five… Do you think he can still win it, Brock?"

"It depends. Charizard is a strong Pokémon – but the question is whether or not Charizard will obey Ash. We also have to remember that he knows that Lorelei has a Ninetales, and a Bellossom – both of who are weak, so she doesn't have the element of surprise like Ash does right now. But you can be sure that Pikachu is in the two Ash has left to choose from."

The arena fell silent as Flygon and Charizard stared at each other with narrowed eyes. Little did their trainers know that neither Pokémon was going to obey orders. This round was going to be a battle that only Flygon and Charizard could decide the winner of…

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = It seemed better to split the battle into two chapters – so with Ash on three Pokémon and Lorelei on five, who is going to win this match?**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Lorelei and Damien – that's the only character

A/N: Special thank you for the reviews – let's see how it goes! On with the match!

**Chapter 03 **

Ash's Charizard and Lorelei's Flygon were not listening to a single order that their trainers gave them.

"Come on Flygon – just listen to me for this one match. Please!" Lorelei screamed in frustration after enduring so much from Damien. "Use Sandstorm!" She hoped that Flygon would flap his wings and sweep vast gusts of particles up into the air, but he didn't. "Flygon!"

"Charizard – use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled, catching Charizard's attention. "You can finish this so easily – I know you can!"

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu added desperately.

A torrent of fire spun around the arena and hurtled towards Flygon, who tried to swiftly escape Charizard's attack, but was sent flying into the podium that Lorelei stood on. The shake of the platform made Castform tumble off her shoulder. She flung herself over the railing around the platform and catching her Pokémon.

"Oh boy – this battle is getting aggressive." Lorelei looked at her cheering Pokémon, and at the baby Kangaskhan. "I'm sorry, I care too much about you guys to let you get hurt. Kangaskhan, Kirlia, return." She tossed the Pokéballs down to Damien and looked at Leafeon. "How about you?"

"Leafeon!"

"I'll take that as a no then. Okay, be careful though. Flygon, you listen to me right now! Use Crunch!" Lorelei felt like she was a mother telling off her child. "Don't make me ask you again…"

Charizard was showing Flygon no mercy, it slammed into Flygon with a Take Down. Leafeon lurched onto Lorelei's shoulder and Castform flinched as the pair of disobedient Pokémon slammed into the podium.

The spectator gasped, "Ladies and gentlemen – this is going to be an interesting battle. Flygon has really taken a hit from Charizard's Fire Spin and that Take Down. What is Lorelei going to do now?"

_There's not very much I can do._ Lorelei thought to herself. She remembered how it was to fight with Flygon – and the more that she had tried to train it, the more disobedient it had become.

Charizard grabbed Flygon with its sharp claws, gripping it with immense strength, before shooting up into the air.

"A seismic toss…" whispered Lorelei in complete amazement. "Flygon- you got to free yourself now." The desperation in her was apparent, because she knew that Flygon was her best chance of defeating Charizard. She lifted her hand to her brow, shielding her eyes from the sun so that she could see what was going on above her.

There was a glimmer as something shone up above the arena. Not long after, there was a huge smash and a fissure opened up as Charizard and Flygon hit the ground.

Ash and his opponent watched in anticipation as they tried to see exactly who had won the round.

"With Charizard, and Flygon unable to battle – the round ends in a tie. The pitch will now change to an ice zone."

"Charizard return – you did really well there, good job!" Ash put Charizard's Pokémonball back onto the Pokéball stand beside him, but he stared at his remaining two Pokéballs. "Staraptor – I choose you!"

"Staraptor!" Staraptor flew in circles, calling out its name as it waited for its opponent.

"Bellossom, it's up to you!" Lorelei let out her grass type Pokémon.

It slipped and stumbled about the icy pitch, but Lorelei didn't have any other Pokémon with an advantage on an ice rink. Bellossom was also in a bad way apart being affected by Muk's poisonous sludge bomb and from her earlier battles against Sceptile and Buizel. She was panting heavily and struggling to remain on her feet.

"Bellossom – let's use-"

"Staraptor, use close combat!" Ash snapped sharply.

Staraptor dove down and slapped Bellossom aggressively with its wings and scratching Bellossom with its talons, but little Bellossom didn't stand a chance. When Staraptor stopped, it soared through the air, preparing itself for another attack. Lorelei's Bellossom whimpered as it lay down flat on the ice.

"Come on, Bellossom. You can get up – you can do it." Lorelei shook her fists.

Bellossom leapt up onto her feet and narrowed her eyes, ready to fight. A purple flash coursed over her skin. Her health points were taking a sharp hit.

"Bellossom – use Bullet Seed!"

Lorelei's Pokémon fired seeds at Staraptor, missing it entirely, before collapsing down on the ground in exhaustion.

"Bellossom is unable to- what?!" the commentator squealed in shock as Bellossom lifted herself off the floor, but helplessly collapsed. "Wow. Bellossom is unable to battle – the round goes to Staraptor and Ash."

"Oh right – go Staraptor!" Ash yelled enthusiastically, feeling even more determined to win the match.

Lorelei apologised to her next Pokémon, throwing its Pokéball into the air. "Ninetales – go!"

Nintales came out of the Pokémon looking pretty bruised, but ready for a battle as it stood on the meadow of the battle ground. "Nine!"

"Nintales – use Safeguard!"

"Quick, Staraptor. Use Aerial Ace!" Ash yelled, pointing at Ninetales. "Show that Safeguard isn't going to work this time!"

Following Ash's orders, Staraptor tried to attack, but Safeguard was a little too strong. The bird like Pokémon bounced back off the beautiful Pokémon.

"Staraptor, Wing Attack!"

Ninetales was caught by the full force of the attack. "Nine, Ninetales!" it snapped angrily.

"Go on, Ninetales, use Confuse Ray!"

Ninetales' eyes glowed as it looked deep into the flying Pokémon's eyes. The glow transferred into Staraptor who darted up into the air, above the clouds.

"Watch out, Ninetales, be on your guard!" warned Lorelei, looking up at the clouds, no longer needing to shield her eyes from the sun.

A bird call echoed in everyone's ears as Staraptor shot down, aimed right at Ninetales. It pierced its beak straight into one of the tails of Ninetales, making it yelp in pain. Staraptor shook itself, emphasising to Ash's that confuse ray hadn't done anything to it this time, but Ash could see that Staraptor was already tired, maybe as much as Ninetales – it seemed an even battle in his eyes, which gave him hope when earlier, he had three Pokémon and his opponent five. Now, it was two of his, against two Pokémon – and a weakened Ninetales too.

"Go on Staraptor – let's try Brave Bird!"

Staraptor looked confused, because this attack could inflict a lot of damage onto the Pokémon itself. Instead of questioning it any further, Staraptor followed Ash's orders and used that attack whilst Ninetales was recovering.

Lorelei yelled out in pain as she watched Ninetales slide back into the meadow grass of the arena. "Ninetales?" she called out curiously.

"Ninetales is unable to battle – the round goes to Staraptor and Ash…" The commentator seemed to be losing a little enthusiasm due to the pure length of the battle – even the sun was disappearing and large flood lights were being turned on, completely illuminating the pitch.

Lorelei's hand hovered over the two remaining Pokéballs. "Which one? I'm not ready for this… Damien is never going to let go of the fact I went against his suggestion." She shook her head. "Who cares! Lucario – I choose you!"

"Lorelei – are you telling me that you changed the party of Pokémon that we decided yesterday?!" Damien yelled.

"Lucario – Metal Claw!" Lorelei peeled herself away from the battle, giving her attention to Damien. "Damien, I had to, it's not who I am. It would not have been a far fight at all and you know that!"

"Miss Periwinkle – this is unacceptable. Your father employed me to ensure that you became the best Pokémon trainer in the whole of the regions, and that is what I have to do- your father will hear of this!"

"Damien – stop it!" Lorelei yelled. "Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Somehow, she was able to tell her Pokémon what to do – as if she had trained him to be able to cope without her full attention.

"Staraptor – Wing attack!"

"Lucario, dodge it and use Close Combat!"

A series of equally offensive attacks followed and Lucario and Staraptor clashed viciously with one another. It was one final Aura Sphere that put Staraptor out of the battle.

"Staraptor is unable to battle – the round goes to Lucario and Lorelei…" There was a slight murmur afterwards, of which Nurse Joy's voice could be heard in the background. "Nurse Joy informs me that the committee has decided to finish this match tomorrow – we apologise for this inconvenience folks."

Lorelei stepped down from the podium where Damien grabbed her arm, gripping it tightly. "Please, let go…"

"Tell me who your last Pokémon is," he asked coldly. "You need to use Mew now."

"No – I won't do that to myself, and I won't do that to Mew either. You know the interest it would get if people had any idea that I was its trainer. Please, I can defeat Ash Ketchum fair and square – I know I can. You taught me well after all."

Behind Damien, Lorelei could see Ash looking over his shoulder at her as he walked out the stadium through the double doors after his two friends – Dawn and Brock.

"I am going to tell your father of your progress – you have vastly improved on the last match. This Ketchum boy is a tough opponent."

"Yeah – he really is. I'm going to stay here a little while – I want to talk to Raichu." Lorelei cradled the remaining Pokéball in her hands after Nurse Joy took her exhausted Pokéballs away. "Oh Raichu – I know you don't like to battle but I need you…"

Once Damien was gone, Lorelei sat down in one of the empty stadium chairs – there was now no one in the stadium at all. Even the commentator's box was empty.

"Hey," a voice startled her.

"Oh, Ash… Good match today," she replied weakly.

"Yeah, you've trained your Pokémon well. Really well – I've never seen a Ninetales swim in water before, or found a Pokémon as disobedient as my Charizard is sometimes."

A smile crept across Lorelei's face. "Thank you," she whispered quietly. Inadvertently, the Pokéball in her hands dropped and hit the floor.

Raichu escaped out of the Pokéball and sat on Lorelei's lap. "Rai!" it squeaked, a little startle by Ash and Pikachu. Raichu buried its head away in its trainer's shoulder.

"It's okay, Raichu. This is Ash, and this is his Pikachu – you remember being Pichu and then Pikachu, don't you?"

"Rai- Raichu…" Raichu seemed to agree.

"Pikachu," Pikachu said, smiling at Raichu, beckoning it to play. Even though Raichu was the fully evolved form, Pikachu was certainly bigger – Lorelei's Raichu seemed much smaller than any Ash had seen before.

"What are the Montazul Islands like, Leia?"

"They are, they are nice. It's hard to describe them when they're home. I mean, if I asked you what Pallet Town was like, I wonder if you'd be able to answer me, without saying it's home. I've only been to Pallet Town once to visit some long distance family friend Professor Oak, do you know him? Oh of course you do – he's a Pokémon Professor…" Lorelei took a deep breath. "I'm sorry – am I talking too much?" She felt her cheeks going bright red. "Maybe I can show you and your friends around the Islands?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah – I'd like that."

Ash and Lorelei talked about their hometowns and watched their two Pokémon chase each other around the arena.

"Can I ask you something?" Ash asked nervously.

"Yeah – what is it?" Lorelei leant forwards a little, a little towards Ash as well.

"That Pokéball around your neck – what Pokémon belongs in there?"

"No!" Lorelei snapped, cradling the Pokéball in her hands.

"Woah – why… not?"

"I can't – I just can't tell you…"

"You're not going to tell me it's the legendary Mew, because I'd highly doubt that. I have met that bubbly little Pokémon once or twice – maybe even three times before."

"You've met Mew?" Lorelei asked in amazement. "That's neat."

"Pika!"

"Rai!"

Ash and Lorelei stood up, Leafeon bounded into its trainer's arms as it saw the Pokémon standing in the centre of the arena. Lorelei had seen this Pokémon once before and it was before the earthquake that split one of the Montazul Islands in half.

"Absol…" Ash murmured.

"Ash – would it sound crazy if I said that I believe that there is a natural disaster about to occur on the Montazul Islands?"

"Come on, don't kid with me…" But when he realised the expression on his opponent's face, he saw that she was being incredibly serious. "What makes you say that?"

"It's rumoured that Montazul residents have always seen an Absol before a natural disaster occurs. One Absol came to my grandmother a week before a large tornado hit the Islands. Ash, I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to forfeit the match for me so that I can go on and win this thing."

Ash's eyes grew wide. "What?! You should be the one to forfeit! It's you that wants to go back home…"

"Please – there is something I have to do, but I can't go back home without winning the semi-finals and the finals…" Lorelei trailed off, and when she turned away from Ash, she saw that Absol was now nowhere to be seen. "You can't tell me that you haven't ever once been faced with a difficult decision that could upset a huge balance – that would put you and the people you love in danger if you did nothing?" Looking up at Ash, Lorelei felt her lips pursing a little, pleading him to agree.

"No – I can't step down. If you won't step down, then I guess I'll see you tomorrow…" Ash let out a deep sigh before standing up, calling for Pikachu and turning to leave the arena.

Lorelei felt a tear building on her eye. _Can I really forfeit the match – what would my father think? _She watched Raichu and Pikachu exchanged a confused, and slightly saddened look, but an urgent call to Pikachu pulled the electric mouse onto his trainer's shoulder.

Raichu instantly noticed her trainer's tearful eyes when the door closed. "Raii?" She bounded up onto Lorelei's lap and headbutted her chin gently.

"I don't know what to do, Raichu… If I stay and fight, I could endanger so many people back on the Montazul Islands. But if I go, then I'll upset my whole family, and Damien too."

"Rai, Rai, Raichu?"

"You think Flygon could get us there in time?"

Raichu nodded enthusiastically.

Early the next morning, Ash and Lorelei stood out on the balcony of their rooms – unaware of the other's presence at first. Ash stared out at the horizon, enjoying the tranquillity of the area and the sunlight sparkling on the water's surface.

"Hey, Ash," Lorelei whispered, looking right at him and silently revelling in the fact that he was only next door to her. "Ready for the battle?"

Ash mumbled an unaudible reply, before exhaling deeply.

"Ash! Ash are you coming?" Dawn called out to her companion from the ground below the balcony. "It's nearly time!"

For a moment, Dawn frowned a little at Lorelei until Ash came jogging out of the building with Pikachu hot on his heels. She noticed them glance up at her, before disappearing into the forest around the building.

"Come on, Leafeon – let's go finish this thing off. The sooner we defeat Ash, the sooner we can get home."

"Leafeon!" he replied as he returned into his Pokéball.

Lorelei sprinted to the arena, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she wondered how her battle with Ash would go. In the Pokémon Centre, Damien pulled Lorelei to one side.

"It's time to think seriously now. I'm going to ask that you return my Pokémon to me. That's Spheal, Kangaskhan, Kirlia and Flygon. I'll take back Lucario when your match is over."

Lorelei flinched at Damien's demand. "Oh, okay…" She handed back the Pokéballs from her satchel. "I'd like Dragonite though. You may use him to train me more than I use him, but he is my Pokémon." Deep down, she wanted to prepare everything so that she could quickly leave for the Montazul Islands. With Dragonite at her side, it would be a swift ride there.

Whilst Damien went into the arena, Lorelei signed in with Nurse Joy. This Nurse Joy could barely contain her excitement. "Ash Ketchum withdrew from the match, so you'll be through to the finals."

"You're serious, aren't you?!" Lorelei gawped at Nurse Joy, feeling a lump in her throat for the sacrifice that Ash had made. She had felt the exact way that he had the first time she asked him to forfeit the match. "He's not getting off that easily." Turning on her heels, Lorelei headed for the door. "We are going to finish this match together!"

"Wait – you can't leave, you can't!" Nurse Joy called out after her. "You're meant to be in the finals – you need to stay here!"

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Ooooo… A disaster is about to strike the Montazul Islands – uh oh… Will Lorelei get there in time? Seems it looked like a far more even fight than it was earlier **


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Lorelei and Damien – that's the only character

A/N: Thank you for reviewing the story – and there's a little more to the legendary Pokémon than you think!

**Chapter 04 **

Lorelei felt the anger and confusion building up in her – she was not about to just let Ash walk away just like that – he had fought back a battle that he looked sure to lose, so why did he give up? If he wanted to get off the island, then he would probably go to the pier and hitch a ride to the Montazul Islands, eager to find out the truth of the mystery.

"I can't believe I even let you do that – I should have left last night before you even had the chance to scarper." Lorelei could feel her heart racing in her chest as she sprinted away from the arena. "Dragonite, I choose you!" She swung her arm swiftly through the air, releasing the Pokéball.

An almighty Dragonite started to thunder alongside his trainer with a beaming grin after not seeing her for so long. Seeing Dragonite made Lorelei wonder why on earth she hadn't used him to fight in the semi-finals.

"Dragonite, we need to fly back home to Montazul – can you do that?"

The dragon frowned, as if to say 'what? Of course I can!' He opened out his illustrious wings and waited for his trainer to jump onto his back and hold on tight.

"Go Dragonite!" Lorelei yelled, encouraging a speedy take off.

With a flap of his wings, Dragonite took off and soared up into the air leaving the tournament and the remaining battles behind.

The wind was cold, but to feel it whooshing past her face was unbelievable and it was something she loved to do. To fly, and upon Dragonite, the experience was exhilarating. Up in the sky, she could be free – and sometimes, she didn't always feel like she could be this in the past.

She left the island behind and, on the way to the Montazul Islands, she could see the sea below her shimmering in the early morning sun.

A raucous call from behind Lorelei made her turn to look over her shoulder. It was a flock of Yanmega, and they had picked their target. Dragonite.

The next thing she heard was a high pitch screech and sound waves pulsating through the air towards her which sent her head rushing in a never ending marathon.

"Dragonite…" a murmur passed her lips as she fell to one side of her Pokémon, the wind whipping past her. "Return…"

The shock of her hitting the water brought her back to the moment. Lorelei's heart began to race and she floundered about the water. To the left, she could see, just water, and the same to the right. Just the same royal blue ocean she had been flying over not long ago.

"Oh my!" Lorelei gasped, kicking her legs feistily in an attempt to stay afloat. Her hands clasped around her sash bag, hoping that nothing had fallen out of the already open bag.

After managing to calm down a little, Lorelei kicked back and started to swim in the direction that she had been flying in. She considered using Ninetales at first, but Ninetales would only last about five minutes so it wouldn't be fair to tire the fire Pokémon out for nothing. Swimming only using her legs was a challenge – she needed to hold onto her bag, but her efforts were short lived as the strong currents half her possible distance.

In the distance, she saw a small boat bobbing about. It wasn't a ferry, but it was enough to give Lorelei strength to force herself on, powering herself towards it.

"Hey! Hey!" she shouted across the ocean, knowing that this boat could get her to the Montazul Islands. "Over here!"

The nearer she got, the more exhausted she became, and the boat still felt like it she miles away.

"Hello?!" Lorelei screamed out one more time before accidently swallowing a mouthful of ocean water.

"Pika!" A bright yellow electric mouse leapt up onto the back rail and called out to its trainer.

"Pikachu – what's wrong?"

That voice! Lorelei recognised it – she would recognise it anywhere.

She rolled her eyes when she realised who the voice belonged to. "You have got to be kidding," Lorelei groaned, panting heavily as she got nearer to the boat.

Her competitor appeared at the back of the boat beside Pikachu, and he couldn't believe his eyes either.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" Ash stifled a laugh

The blood rushed to Lorelei's cheeks and she carried on kicking, swimming past the boat boldly. She couldn't stand the fact that Ash was trying to be this brave and charming person that would just forfeit a match he clearly wanted to win, it didn't make sense.

"Oh come on, Leia. You know that the match was yours, so I did what I had to!" he called out after his last opponent who was still struggling to swim away from the boat. "Come on, you know you're nowhere near Montazul islands – come on the boat and we'll take you there… maybe you can even show us the way round the island. Like a guide or something."

"A guide!" snapped Lorelei quietly. "Oh you make me so made!"

Ash slapped his face with his hand. "Wow…"

Behind him, Brock noticed that Lorelei was in the water and he tossed the lifesaver over the rail. It splashed down in front of Lorelei who wrinkled her face at it. Treading the water, she debated whether she would take it.

Instead, she swam around it, leaving it behind her. Stubborn was clearly one of her middle names.

Brock and Ash looked to Dawn who was busy lying down on a bench in the shade. Her eyes rolled around her face in an arch.

"Fine," she sighed, walking over to the side of the boat. "Leia – don't be so persistent. Just take the ring and we'll go together. Ash just wants to see what the mystery of Montazul Islands… And I think you know that you're never going to make it there swimming like you are." As far as pep talks go, this was one of the first Dawn had ever given. "Leia- what do you say?"

"On one condition." Lorelei spun around a little in the water.

"Name it!" Ash exclaimed, before shying away a little. "Yeah…"

"You come and meet my family- and you tell them that you beat me in the tournament."

A frown formed along Ash's brow as he tried to understand why. When he was about to ask why, he received a sharp elbow to the side of his ribcage. "Of course," he whimpered, trying not to double over.

Lifting Lorelei onto the boat, she emptied out the contents of her bag onto the deck of the boat. She separated all the different items. Potions, Pokéballs, a soaked raincoat, a soggy guidebook and a camera in a plastic bag that seemed unaffected by the water. Everything was incredibly wet and needed a good few hours to dry, but nothing was going to be the same even if it was dry.

"That was tiring to say the least…" Lorelei fell back against the deck, before sitting upright. "Why did you want to go to the Montazul Islands?" she looked directly at Ash.

"The mystery and all of that – who wouldn't?" Ash grinned cheerfully, only to be slightly shut down by the grimace on Lorelei's face.

"Ash…" Lorelei stood up and despite being less than a head shorter than him, she wasn't intimidated. "You barely know what you're getting yourself in for." Before Ash could reply, she collected her partly damp belongings and wandered towards the front of the boat. There, she let her wind blow ripple through her clothes, shivering a little.

"Lorelei?"

She got a little fright, she didn't expect company right now. Turning around, she found herself facing Ash.

"What is it?" Lorelei looked back to the sea.

"Do you have some kind of problem with me or something?" he asked, calmly exhaling deeply.

A small smile was tugging at Lorelei's cheek muscles. "Quite the opposite," she whispered.

"What did you say?" Ash asked, moving towards her cautiously. "Do you think we'll make it to Montazul in time?"

"We have to," Lorelei replied confidently, feeling the warmth of Ash's sleeveless jacket on her shoulders. "You're a really amazing guy, Ash…" Her blue eyes connected with his eyes, and they stared at each other for a moment. "Sorry," she murmured, looking away. "My mum is going to love you."

"Eh?"

Lorelei seemed a little flustered. "I just mean that you're going to have to charm her and explain how you beat me…"

"So no pressure." Ash laughed. "Any idea what this natural disaster will be?"

"No, but Mum is certainly going to go crazy when she hears that I've seen Absol…"

How right she was. When Lorelei's mum heard this news, she refused to let go of her. Not in joy, but of fear and distress.

"No! I refuse to let you go! Never. There's no way I'm going to let you go gallivanting off to the shrine. Not now, not after I lost your grandmother, Lorelei Periwinkle if you dare go anywhere near that mountain, so help me! These friends of yours probably don't know about it, but I refuse to let you become the sacrifice to save the Islands."

This came as a shock to Ash, Brock and Dawn who didn't expect that at all.

"But Mum – I have to. I'm going and you can't do anything to stop me. I care far too much about this place to even consider not going."

"Lorelei Periwinkle – at least stay for the day… You can leave in the morning. Ash, Brock and Dan – you are welcome to sleep in the guest room. Dan, I'm sure you can kip on the floor in Lorelei's room."

"Dan? But I'm Daw-" Dawn started, only to be interrupted by Mrs Periwinkle.

"And Professor Maple's daughter Holly will be coming over in the morning. Make sure you're up when she gets here – you know how prompt she likes things to be. And I think the Mareep flock need a little sheering."

"Yes Mum." Lorelei smiled weakly. "You can count on me."

Only that night, Lorelei packed a bag with the essentials that she would need to climb including sturdy climbing equipment and a whole lot of rope. She thought she would be able to sneak off in the middle of the night, out of the window, but Dawn keep one eye slightly open and watched her newfound friend drop out of the window. Not long after Lorelei had left, Dawn packed her own bag and followed, walking straight into Ash who couldn't sleep that night.

"Dawn?" Ash stammered. "What are you doing out – and with a bag packed? Where are you going?"

"Lorelei – she's gone somewhere. I think she's gone up the mountain. I'm worried about her, Ash. Her mother kept going on about a sacrifice or something."

"I'm going after her." Ash reached through the open window and picked out his rucksack. "I'll be able to catch up to her, I'm sure of it."

"No, Ash – I'll go. She'll understand me more than she can you."

"Dawn, you need to stay here so that her mother doesn't get suspicious. And someone needs to keep Brock company, and keep him away from this Holly girl – the daughter of the Professor."

Somewhere inside Dawn, she saw a look in Ash's eyes that said he needed to do this. "Okay- I'll stay. Be quick, catch up to her, and stay safe Ash. Take care of him, Pikachu."

"You can count on me." Ash slung his rucksack over his shoulder and ran away up the hill in the direction of the mountain, with Pikachu hot on his heels.

They were quick to tire, but Ash didn't give up. His feet continually pounded the dewy grass as he ran up the hill. The early morning sun was beginning to rise over the horizon as the Swablu filled the skies and flew over the islands.

"This really is an amazing island, right Pikachu?" Ash said as they reached the path that spiralled up the mountain. He realised how small and also unpopulated the island was because, from the path, he could see the tiny settlement that summed up the population and the coastal villages dotted about.

"Pik-ka!" his friend chimed in agreement, continually racing up the mountain path in pursuit of Lorelei.

Ash and Pikachu continued to scale the mountain after Lorelei, so much to the extent that the early morning sun was beginning to rise. Looking out over the Montazul Island, in the distance, he could see a dark cloud looming over the sea and it seemed to be heading for the island – most likely, it was the natural disaster that Absol had 'warned' Lorelei about.

"Pikachu – do you think we can get to Leia in time?" Ash asked, breathing heavily in between strides, until he reached a point where the path just disappeared, and dropped down. "Looks like some rockslides have destroyed the path… But I got this covered." Instinctively, Ash grabbed one of his Pokéballs from his belt. "Bayleef – come on and help us out!" When he saw his Pokémon appear in front of him, he ordered it to use vine whip for him to cross the chasm.

"Bay- Bay!" Two long and sturdy looking vines shot out across the chasm and fastened onto a jagged rock at the other side. Bayleef prepared for Ash to cross on the vines, but when its trainer began to scale the distance, it struggled at the halfway point. Pulling back to tighten the vines, a bead of sweat was building on the side of Bayleef's head as it endeavoured to keep Ash safe.

The vines slipped on the rock and in a matter of seconds, Ash was falling through the air.

"Dragonite – fly! I said fly!"

Ash was sure he heard Lorelei call, but he continued to fall. A hand lashed onto his and Ash's body jerked, stopping in mid-air. Looking up, he could see Lorelei in Dragonite's bulky arms, struggling to hold onto Ash.

"Take us to the mountain path, Dragonite!" Lorelei snapped, gasping at the pain in her arms. "Quickly!"

Dragonite shot up into the air and reached the mountain path much higher up the mountain than Lorelei had anticipated. He dropped her and Ash onto the path before flying away above the clouds. The two Pokémon trainers rolled along the mountain path. Lorelei was first to leap up off Ash and she stepped back away from him.

"Are you crazy?" she squealed in disbelief, trying to tell herself that Ash had not just followed her up the mountainside. "Why have you followed me, it's not safe, you could have died!" Lorelei cupped her hands over her mouth. "If something happened to you…" she trailed off, too inaudible for Ash to hear.

"You know- I followed you because I was worried about you!" Ash snapped angrily, but he stopped when he saw the tears forming on the ridge of her eyes.

Lorelei stared back at Ash with big eyes, wondering what to do. Her shoes scuffed the stony mountain path as she made her way towards him. As if she lost control of her limbs, she threw her arms around Ash, squeezing him.

"Pika!"

"Bay- Bay!"

Bayleef glared at Lorelei embracing Ash and butted into them sharply, bowling them over onto the ground.

"Return, Bayleef," Ash said, feeling his Pokemon nuzzle his neck. "Sorry, Bayleef gets a little overprotective with affection."

"That's okay- I probably would feel the same way too if… Never mind. I need to go up to the shrine on the top of the mountain." Lorelei looked up to the mountain's peak. "There isn't much time – I can feel the temperatures dropping, something's going to happen and I have to get to the top before it's too late."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ash jumped up to his feet and extended a hand out to her.

She looked up at him and took a hold of his hand, letting him pull her to her feet.

"Thanks," Lorelei mumbled.

The two raced up the path, feeling the wind whipping at their clothes and sending shivers down their spines. Pikachu took refuge inside of Ash's jacket, poking his head out and looking at the path ahead.

"We're here!" called Lorelei as they reached what looked like an amphitheatre.

The stone circles of seats surrounded Ash and Lorelei as they walked into the centre of the amphitheatre.

"Ash, I need you to stand back and not interfere. Do not interfere, even if your life depends on it. You must not interfere. Please." Lorelei walked slowly towards the altar which stood at the centre.

"What is this place?"

"The temple… This is the temple that my family have served under for many years. As the holder of Mew."

"Holder?" Ash asked. "Mew!?"

Lorelei laughed gently at Ash's sudden surprise. "Ash – Mew is a legendary Pokémon. No one can own and command it, however much Damian would like to think that he can make me order it as the holder, I can't. It's not possible. That's why I carry this around my neck." She removed the Pokéball from around her neck. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you had seen Mew before, and not a lot of people can say that."

"Yeah, I know." Ash watched intently as Lorelei placed the Pokéball into a half spherical indentation of the altar. The Pokéball lit up and began to glow a pale golden colour.

"Lorelei Periwinkle – step away from that altar!" a deranged scream alerted the pair of another's presence in the temple.

She looked up from the altar and saw Damien standing at the entrance she had come in through not too long ago.

"Damien? Why are you saying this? I have to do this…" Lorelei squeaked timidly. "As a holder, I must do what needs to be done. Mew must be released once more."

"No! Mew is mine and I will not allow you to sacrifice it! Mew is mine! Mine!" Damien stormed forwards, his coat flailing in the wind.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Here's the climax of the story – the plot thickens and a little more is revealed. Hope you're enjoying it and I'd love to know what you think of it.**


End file.
